It can be nice to see a large number of Christmas gifts under the tree on that anticipated morning. This year I received a number of presents that required a lot of work to set up. Back in September my youngest son got me a ski rack to install in my garage. My wife liked the gift so much, she got another set. The only problem is that I hadn't installed the first ski rack as it required power tools. This begs the question of how my wife knew she wanted more if I never bothered to install the first set.
The idea behind the ski racks is that they hold the skis in place close to the wall so that when someone walks by the skis, they don't accidentally knock them over, which has happened frequently in the past. My son gave me racks for 2 pairs of skis. My wife then got a pack for 4. I installed my son's and then discovered that we only had room on the wall for 2 more pairs of skis. Not to worry, I just installed enough of my wife's gift to hold 2 pairs of skis and it works great. Naturally I did that on the Saturday of the MLK 3-day weekend.
The next gift my wife got me, and the reason I am including it in my blog, is a set of bed-side lamps. Now what do bed-side lamps have to do with technology and computers? They are battery powered LED lamps and come with a remote to turn them on or off. Furthermore, they colored so that you can choose between any shade in the rainbow. If they had the ability to connect to my home WiFi, they would be considered IoT or Internet-of-Things devices. Fortunately they are not that complicated nor do they need to be. The only downside is that they need be attached to the wall. I attacked that project on the Monday of the MLK 3-day weekend.
Once again, I had to pull out power tools, in this case a drill, and spend some time planning out the project, executing the project, and cleaning up after the project. It left me asking if I really received a gift or if my wife creatively came up with a way to get me to do work around the house? I drilled a couple of holes in the wall for each lamp on either side of my bed and installed the lamps. The light unit is about the size of a soup can and is covered in LEDs. On the top it has a USB-C port so you can charge it. I have no idea how long it will last on a single charge but we have been using the lights all week and they work well.
I enjoy setting up certain Christmas gifts like Lego projects. Other gifts like the ones I received this year have felt like work. Furthermore they are what I consider golf-club gifts. You know, when a husband gets his wife golf clubs knowing she will never use them but he will. I admit I am using the ski racks and the bed-side lamps but feel they are more for my wife than for me. Next year I plan to ask for gifts that don't require drilling holes in my house.
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